The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates just over a million people in the U.S., age 13 and older, had an HIV infection at the end of 2016. And of those million plus people, 14 percent did not know they were infected.
Thursday, is National HIV Testing Day, a push by the CDC to promote testing for HIV and educating people about the risks and new treatments.
Last year, 24 newly diagnosed HIV cases were reported in Montana, according to the state health department.
Since 2001, Montana has seen 14 to 32 new cases of HIV a year.
"Getting people tested is a way for us to reduce stigma and to make that more normal as part of health," says Molly Hale, the HIV program manager for RiverStone Health in Billings. "I mean you get checked for diabetes, cholesterol, heart disease, those types of things. Why not be testing for HIV and STDs as well?"
She says those who test positive and are detected earlier in the course of the disease, can live longer with the disease thanks to new HIV medications are easier to take and more tolerable.
"People are really living a normal life, are more susceptible to just regular chronic diseases that everyone is else is dealing with versus them worrying about their HIV as much.," Hale said.
Those who test negative but are still at risk can take PREP, a pre-exposure medication to help prevent infection.
Riverstone Health is offering free and confidential testing Thursday afternoon, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Billings Skate Park on South 27th, across the street from Riverstone Health.
A list and map of HIV testing sites across Montana is available here.
View the 2018 Montana HIV Surveillance Snapshot, provided by the Montana Communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit, here.
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